Young artists to bloom thanks to council grant funding

A collective of young artists’ vision to host an event which showcases young people’s creative talents will come to fruition thanks to a funding grant endorsed by Sunshine Coast Council today.

Bloom Collective – which comprises 15 local artists aged 14-25 – received $3500 in council’s latest Major Community Grants Program round to help fund its pilot event taking place in January 2020 at Nambour’s Old Ambulance Station.

This creative youth event is one of 95 community initiatives receiving a share of more than $525,000 in community grant funding endorsed by council today.

This evening event will feature art exhibitions in the station’s main exhibition area, films playing in the screening room, and spoken word and acoustic music presentations – all produced and presented by local young people.

A swag of local youth bands will also entertain patrons on the night including Zebra Finch, Olympus Jam and Red Entries.

Bloom Collective committee member Prudence Swann, 18, said the funding enabled their event to blossom from an artistic get-together at someone’s house to a formal event exposing young artists and their work to the wider community.

Ms Swann said Bloom Collective members share a love of art across all mediums and were keen to collaborate on skills development and express their unique voice through creative form.

“There’s so many young artists on the Coast. I think a lot of people have been wanting something like this to happen for a long time so there’s lots of people excited.”

Artists are preparing their exhibition entries on the theme ‘Resist’.

“We are asking them to express what they are resisting,” Ms Swann said.

“Many people think they’re doing something productive by sharing something on social media, but this presents a way to market their talents as well as express their opinions, to the local community.

“This will provide a chance for important topics to surface and for young people to speak with

like-minded people about how to move forward with these topics and make change through our emerging generation.”

The Bloom Collective expect this pilot event will be the first of many successful arts events.

“I think creativity is really important to keep the world a colourful, happy place,” Ms Swann enthused.

Youth projects featured heavily in this council community grants round, with newly-formed charity THRIVE Sunshine Coast receiving $5000 funding toward establishing a music and recording studio at its youth hub on Aerodrome Road in Maroochydore.

THRIVE Sunshine Coast Chairman Noel Boxer said its youth hub offered a safe space for young people to drop in.

Mr Boxer said the creation of a music and recording studio will provide an opportunity for young people to develop their music skills and engage in the hub’s other mentoring programs.

“Music is a universal thing. Everyone loves it. I think if you can connect with young people through music it can lead to other things,” Mr Boxer said.

“We are really grateful for this $5,000 funding which will go toward establishing the studio and fitting it out with equipment,” he said.

Community Portfolio Councillor Jenny McKay is impressed by the dynamic youth projects receiving funding in this round.

“Many of the projects funded in this round are collaborations between community groups which is really fantastic to see and echoes the vision of our draft Sunshine Coast Community Strategy 2019-2041 – together we thrive,” Cr McKay said.

Council’s Major Community Grants Program support local communities across seven categories. This round of funding includes:

$117,504 for community development

$78,250 for community events

$195,175 for community facilities

$20,115 cultural development

$17,920 for cultural heritage

$18,500 for economic development

$77,566 for sport, recreation and healthy living.

Council also endorsed $51,522 of funding in Heritage Levy grants programs today, to improve collection care and exhibitions by heritage organisations on the Sunshine Coast.

Applications for council’s Minor Community Grants Program are currently open and close 4 November, 2019. Visit council’s website at www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au

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